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He can make or break careers and once boasted that he sells more records than Bruce Springsteen. That confidence helped make Simon Cowell a success as a former judge on "American Idol." Cowell's blunt opinions of a performance stood in contrast to Paula Abdul's mostly positive spin and Randy Jackson's typical middle ground. The bickering with Abdul and host Ryan Seacrest was also a highlight of the Fox series. Cowell has been a judge on British shows "Pop Idol" and "The X Factor," and he produces other contest shows such as "American Inventor" and "America's Got Talent." He will help launch the U.S. version of "The X Factor" in September.

Related "Simon Cowell" Articles

"America's Got Talent" voters sent the Virginia State University Gospel Chorale home. The singing group is not among the 12 acts advancing to the competition's semifinal round next week, Wednesday's show revealed.
Tuesday night, judge Howard...

One of the stars of Wednesday's episode of "The X Factor" on Fox television was a group called 4Shore from Virginia Beach, Va. The a cappella quartet sang the Boyz II Men hit "End of the Road" and blew the judges away.
Judge L.A....

On Friday, Oct. 7, Virginia Beach's 4Shore will make its first local public appearance since stepping into the national spotlight on the Fox television show "The X Factor" last week.The R&B vocal quartet will perform at halftime of the...

Smithfield's Bria Kelly is hanging tough in NBC's competition show "America's Got Talent." She's included in a field of two dozen or so contestants vying for the show's top spot and a $1 million prize. According to a press release, Kelly will be...

In coming weeks, a pair of festivals will bring premium, live R&B to Hampton Roads. Lalah Hathaway will headline the Ella Fitzgerald Music Festival in Newport News.Fantasia and Joe will give Portsmouth's Umoja Festival a jolt of soul.Hathaway,...

If Jon and Kate, Khloe Kardashian and Simon Cowell can make it in reality television, why not Michael Vick?
If Vick remains tens of millions in debt, why not risk caricature in hopes of making a buck or three?
If Americans will tune into David...

Zayn Malik says he worries that he's let One Direction fans down by leaving the world-conquering boy band, but couldn't carry on in a role that made him unhappy. Malik quit the group this week, saying he wanted "to be a normal 22-year-old." He...

And then there were four: Zayn Malik said Wednesday he is leaving chart-topping boy band One Direction "to be a normal 22-year-old." In an announcement that broke teenage hearts and sent social media into a tizzy, Malik's bandmates said they...

James Corden began his foray as the "Late Late Show" host with a schoolboy's giggle and a bid to endear himself to viewers as a nice English bloke looking for a little American TV love. Guests Tom Hanks and Mila Kunis joined the cause Monday,...

It's an indication of how quickly life moves for the lads of One Direction that their idea of ancient history appears to be 2012.
That's when Harry Styles — the youngest (and arguably dreamiest) member of this British boy band — was 18, an age he and his...

Randy Jackson is leaving "American Idol" -- and this time, it's serious.
The 58-year-old singing judge and musical mentor will not return for the show's 14th season in January, Fox confirmed Tuesday.
Jackson, who had been with "Idol"...

Earlier this spring, Alex Kinsey and Sierra Deaton were trading stories about the two-week writing camp that yielded their debut album, "It's About Us." The late-hour bursts of boozy creativity and morning hikes under the Malibu sun are...

Broad of shoulder and booming of voice, Bob Romeo is a memorable guy with a seemingly memorable job title: chief executive of the Academy of Country Music.
Based in Encino, it's one of that genre's two principal trade groups along with Nashville's...

Simon Cowell egged — it's something we're supposing any number of "American Idol" and "Britain's Got Talent" wannabes have wanted to see for years now.
And on Saturday night, during the "BGT" finale, it happened.
During a...

Simon Cowell is expecting a baby with New York socialite Lauren Silverman, the estranged wife of one of the talent-show judge's good friends — that according to several reports out Wednesday.
Seems that as Lauren, 36, and her real-estate mogul husband...

Hey, Kristen Stewart, tell the paparazzi how you really feel.
The "On the Road" star, who's never been a fan of this particular shade of limelight, went berserk when a shutterbug tried get an informative glimpse of the 23-year-old actress...

Simon Cowell's baby-on-the-way news got a bit more tawdry Thursday, with words like "adultery," "surprise" and "gold digger" starting to swirl in the mix.
Cowell, 53, is reportedly expecting a child with New York socialite...

Prince William and his wife Catherine have officially registered their nearly 3-week-old son, Prince George Alexander Louis.
Our favorite part of the form? His parents' occupations. Wills, 31, is listed as "Prince of the United Kingdom," rather...

The Simon Cowell baby drama is in full swing, and we haven't had this much fun with rampant rumors since Tiger Woods was grabbing the headlines — and not for golf.
Cowell, of course, has allegedly impregnated New York socialite Lauren Silverman,...